The diffuse light of the stable gives way to bright daylight as the Pegasi Master leads them out into a training field and then along the fence-line towards a smaller field just beyond. She swings the gate open and gestures them through, then closes the gate behind them and leans against it, raising her fingers to her lips and whistling sharp-loud-commanding—

Wingbeats fill the air as pegasi descend from the sky, landing one after another in the field around them. They snort and stamp, nostrils flaring at the scent of wyvern, some stepping closer and some drifting towards the fence-line, all of them with careful-thoughtful-cautious gazes as they take Shiro and Uryuu in.

“Here’s the ones that’ll accept a male and put up with wyverns in close proximity,” the Pegasi Master announces once the pegasi have mostly settled.

“Heh, always thinkin’ ahead, ain’tcha?” Shiro asks with a touch of amusement.

She snorts. “Figured since you were asking, I better make sure of things before anyone got too attached,” she says with a one-shouldered shrug. Her gaze settles on Uryuu again, but there’s still no disgust in it, just consideration. “Those two blacks might be your best bet,” she tells him, nodding towards the pair of black pegasi that are watching him intently. “They’re a tithe from one of the northern Quincy Holds, the one currently lead by the Rerugens. Picky creatures, too. This is the closest they’ve come to a prospective rider since they showed up.”

Uryuu swallows and nods his understanding, then turns towards the two pegasi and takes a few steps closer; not close enough to get within range of teeth or hooves — he knows better than that — but close enough that he can easily let his magic drift towards them as he says, “I’m looking for a mount. One that won’t mind flying alongside a wyvern.”

The two blacks snort and the one on the left stamps a hoof and tosses his head, as if to say ‘we knew that’, but they don’t back away from him. Their magic mingles with his own, like silk-fine tendrils brushing across his senses, and he does his best to hold still and let them investigate.

For as outwardly matched as the two blacks appear, their magics are completely at odds: one is icy wind-lightning crackle-deep shadows and the other is hot flame-bright sky-searing light. The one on the right snorts and turns away a moment later, trotting across the field and then launching into the air with strong, steady wingbeats, taking with her the sense of flame-sky-light magic.

Which leaves him with the black gelding and a few other interested pegasi, drawn by his unleashed magic.

Uryuu tears his gaze away from the black and glances at the others, brushes wisps of magic against them as he does. A few snort and shy away from his touch, put off by something in his presence, but it still leaves him surrounded by four: the black, a bay, and two silvery-whites.

One of the whites reaches out with her magic, tapping lightly at his senses with magic that feels like fierce storm-ice rain, then bobs her head and winds closer, only to pause when the black snorts and stamps his hoof. She stares at the black, ears back and the very tips of her teeth beginning to show, and Uryuu hastily clears his throat in an attempt to keep the two from fighting.

(He’d expected to not find any mount here, not… not to be fought over!)

(What in the world?)

The white and black swing their heads around to stare at him, both with one ear back and one ear pointed at him, and he glowers back at them. “I won’t accept either of you if you start a fight,” he tells them as firmly as he can while trying to impress the sentiment into his magic. He hopes that his hazy memory of their intelligence is accurate, because if it isn’t… well, at least he’ll have tried to prevent open warfare.

The bay and second white exchange looks and turn tail, clearly deciding that they want nothing to do with him or this showdown now that the other two have decided to stake their claim. Which, of course, leaves him with the problem of who to pick, given how well both of their magics mesh with his own.

(As pleasing as the wyverns were, this is what he’s always wanted.)

(Given the chance, he will always choose a pegasi over any other mount.)

“Those two, huh?” the Pegasi Master asks in bemusement, then shrugs when he turns enough to send her a questioning look. “Spare mounts are common,” she tells him. “Especially if you want to keep up with a wyvern knight. Wyverns have more stamina than pegasi, though pegasi tend to be faster and more agile. In longer battles, you’ll want to return to base and switch mounts every so often, so you don’t founder them mid-combat.”

“Right,” Uryuu murmurs, turning back to the two pegasi and giving them a thoughtful look, catching the white mid-attempt at biting the black. “Think you can refrain from killing each other?” he asks in exasperation, sending a small flick of magic at her in reprimand.

She snorts, shakes her head, and then primly saunters up to him to shove her head against his chest as if she’d done nothing wrong in her life.

“You are going to be so much trouble,” Uryuu says with a sigh, even as he reaches up to pet her head. “I can already tell.”

The black, meanwhile, just tosses his head and circles around so he can approach from a different angle. He stretches his neck out, brushing his soft muzzle against Uryuu’s cheek, then ducks his head down to investigate Uryuu’s pockets.

“Hey!” Uryuu protests, even though he expected the action; he does usually keep treats in his pockets for his horses, so it’s understandable that the black can smell it, but still. The white promptly shoves him with her head and proceeds to nose at his other pocket, searching for any treats that she can find, and Uryuu huffs a laugh and flicks both of them with his magic. “No treats right now,” he tells them firmly, only to get a disgusted snort from the white and the saddest eyes he’s ever seen on a horse from the black. “No,” he repeats firmly. “I’m not inexperienced, you’re not getting anything out of me that easily.”

The black sighs, nudges Uryuu once more, then lifts his head and fluffs his wings. The white just nudges him hard enough to send him stumbling back a step and then turns her head away with a disgruntled nicker.

“Well, you seem to have made friends,” the Pegasi Master says with a small laugh, then jabs her thumb back at the barn they’d walked through. “Come on then, lets get you kitted out and start the bonding process.” She cast a look at Shiro and said, “No offense, sire, but—”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m leavin’, I’m leavin’,” Shiro says, then turns to Uryuu and gives him and the two pegasi a thoughtful look. “Y’matched well,” he says with a tiny, proud smile. “I’ll be back in a few hours, promise.” And with that, Shiro flashes a sharp grin at the Pegasi Master, turns, and hops the fence to head back towards where Getsuga is lounging in the sun.

“Che, young brat,” the Pegasi Master mutters fondly as she watches Shiro stride away, then shakes her head and adds, “Well, come on. No sense waiting around,” before pulling the gate open and stepping through, clearly waiting for Uryuu to follow along.

Uryuu takes a deep breath, glances once at the two pegasi clearly waiting on his command, then clicks his tongue and strides after the Pegasi Master.

(Two pegasi.)

(After all his fears, all his worries, he matched with two!)

(If this is a dream, let him never wake again.)